And More Bad Behaviour

Looks like bad behaviour isn’t just for models either: Los Angeles-based Indian designer Anand Jon Alexander pleaded guilty recently to all 59 charges of sexual harassment that were brought against him by 20 teenage girls. According to Alexander’s lawyer, the 33 year old designer believes the women were involved in collusion against him. Of course, if convicted on all 59 counts, he faces the possibility of life imprisonment. We’ll keep you posted.

Of course, a month without Paris Hilton in the news wouldn’t be a, well, a month at all! The blond heiress is being sued by a woman who claims Hilton “stole” her look. ContactMusic.com reports that Hilton has been accused of causing “emotional distress” to fellow Californian Nicolle O’Neill, who filed a personal injury complaint alleging psychological suffering due to Hilton “ripping off her style.” In the documents laying out the complaint, O’Neill claims Hilton stole her idea to expose her underwear under her trousers and to shop in vintage stores for retro dresses. At press time, Hilton had yet to respond to the allegations. We’re guessing she won’t.

In other legal news, John Whitledge, the designer for the preppy sportswear label Trovata, recently sued American fast-fashion chain Forever 21 for copying the label’s designs. Whitledge claims that the retailer copied Trovata styles, patterns, prints, and labels over several seasons — a similar claim to those of several other designers, including Anna Sui, who cited 26 potential cases of copyright infringement in her case against Forever 21.

According to Fashionista.com , Whitledge is the first designer to bring a claim over menswear designs. While copyright infringement is a relatively new area of the law, particularly with respect to fashion design, several of Trovata’s examples are fairly compelling: a purple and white striped cardigan with multicoloured buttons (the order of which differed in the Forever 21 version) and a cream-coloured hoodie with toggle buttons and printed lining (Forever 21’s version featured a different, skewed print).